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Hack the VoteFive ways Internet tricksters could tamper with the 2008 elections.

By Christopher BeamPosted Friday, Aug. 15, 2008, at 1:53 PM ET

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Melonyce McAfee discussed attitudes toward voter fraud. Richard L. Hasen identified a void after the disappearance of the American Center for Voting Rights. Will Saletan highlighted the travesty of robo-calls.

3. Social networking. Social networks let advertisers target users based on geography, age, gender, and even interests. Say you wanted to tell female students between the ages of 18 and 25 at Ohio State University interested in "Obama" that their polling place had moved all the way across town (even though it hadn't) or that locations actually stay open two hours later (even though they don't). You can create a Facebook ad that displays only to that group.

Defense: Social networking. The sickness is also the cure. Social networks thrive on sharing, so if you discover a misleading ad, it's that much easier to tell everyone you know. Plus, Facebook users (and Myspace, LinkedIn, etc.) tend to be savvier than grannies who still log on through AOL. They're more likely to know where to go get proper info rather than trust the same ad space that normally features Busted Tees.

4. Robo-calling. The tactic isn't new, but the Web makes it absurdly easy. Robo-calling can be used for everything from providing false registration information to smear campaigns. Before the North Carolina Democratic primary, a mysterious robocaller told voters in black neighborhoods they had to fill out an extra voter registration form before Election Day. (The calls were eventually traced to Women's Voices Women Vote.) Another automated call targeted at possible caucus-goers in Nevada trashed "Barack Hussein Obama." You could set a robo-call up in the next five minutes as long as you're willing to pay for call lists. The best part: Voice over I.P. technology makes the calls virtually untraceable.

Defense: Not much. The best campaigns can do is condemn the calls, as the Obama camp did after the Nevada blast. They can also file a complaint, as the NAACP did in the aftermath of the North Carolina call. But retroactive justice is little consolation once an election is over.

5. Search-engine deoptimization. However many e-mail blasts the campaigns send out, many voters will just search Google or Yahoo for polling info. Pranksters could therefore buy ads directing anyone looking for "where to vote" or "polling place" to the wrong information. They could also make misinformation more prominent in the search results. Google recently announced the death of the Google Bomb—a concerted effort to bump a particular page to the top search result—but bloggers and hackers have already discovered workarounds.

Defense: Search-engine optimization. Google is on the case. The search giant has partnered with the Pew Center on the States and the JEHT Foundation to create the Voting Information Project. The goal is to standardize polling and ballot information, make sure it's accurate, and put it in places on the Internet where voters will find it. So when people search for "Virginia polling locations" on Election Day, they'll be directed to their Secretary of State site. There, they can enter their address into an embedded search bar and see a Google Map providing directions to their official polling place. It's a step up from current poll locators, says a Google spokeswoman, since it corrects for misspellings.

That's not to say these Internet tricks will upset the election—or even dent it. There are plenty of bright mischief-makers out there, but how many of them want to screw up elections? (Elect John McCain for the lulz!) And it may turn out that traditional methods of voter manipulation—such as, say, paying busloads of homeless people to pass out inaccurate sample ballots—will prove more effective. Plus, one smear campaign probably equals a thousand polling-place misinformation campaigns.

Ultimately, the best thing campaigns can do is fight bad information with good. (I know, I know; it's boring and often doesn't work.) That means keeping the lines of communication open among election officials, campaigns, and Internet service providers in case something goes wrong. During the primaries, campaigns provided polling locators and organized phone banks to answer voter questions on Election Day. This time around, they'll have dozens of voting rights groups backing them up on the local level. At the same time, the Obama campaign is recruiting an army of lawyers to supervise polling places and prevent discrimination. And, of course, to keep an eye out for suspicious mustaches.

Thanks to Lillie Coney of the Electronic Privacy Information Center, Thad Hall of University of Utah, Michele Jawando of People for the American Way, Jon Pincus, and Tova Wang of Common Cause.